1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a direction change device for use with a front wheel driving automobile and more particularly to a direction change wheel which is mounted to a conventional suspension of an automobile chassis.
2. Description of Related Art
To improve prior Korean patent application Nos. 89-4546 and 89-4547, the direction change device of the present invention is mounted to a middle portion of the conventional suspension which is secured to the shaft of the rear wheels, with the structure of the chassis being unchanged.
With a conventional driving and direction changing device, the direction change for parking or stopping of an automobile is generally achieved through several operations of a steering wheel.
In recent years, the number of automobiles has increased explosively on a world-wide scale. Accordingly, parking lot security is on the rise, particularly in towns and cities. To solve parking problems, underground parking in a building or tower parking has been provided. However, there is still not enough parking available to solve the parking or stagnation problem.
Another plan has been proposed to solve the problem. That is, an automobile with a direction change device has been proposed. With the direction change device, the automobile is parked easily in a narrow area, whereby the unit area per one automobile may be decreased. This means that more automobiles can be parked in the unit area.
Japanese patent application Nos. 67-21689 (published on Oct. 25, 1967) and 69-30286 (published on Dec. 6, 1969) and Korean patent application No. 88-562 disclose direction change devices. In the devices, the radius of direction change of automobiles is minimized or an automobile is lifted, shifted sidewards and changed in its direction to some degree. These prior art devices have the disadvantage that the chassis of the conventional automobile should be changed structurally and hydraulic devices with a separate frame should be additionally provided, resulting in an increased weight of an automobile. Furthermore, the appearance is not easily changed and safety is therefor not ensured. Thus, the prior art direction change devices have not been practical in application.
The prior direction change device has been improved by my inventions of Korean patent application No. 89-4546 and 4547. However, in the inventions, the chassis and the hydraulic system were changed for mounting of the direction change device, which causes difficulty in putting the device into practical use.